Frost Bites
by Dimitri's.Smexi.Shewolf
Summary: (Fb2015) A collection of one shots inspired by the words of Robert Frost. Happy, sad, post and during series. Written in support of Frostbite2015. 1. 5 Million Words Challenge open until 3rd September- taking entries now.
1. Chapter 1

**So this ****oneshot series**** is a contribution to the Frostbite2015 1.5 Million Words Challenge that I set up. Obviously, this entry will not be a part of the competition, because that would be kind of sad :P There are 10 days left of the competition, so anyone who wishes to enter should do so soon :) **

**This series is made up of one shots based on quotes/poems by Robert Frost, and a VA quote that ties in with it. The first of these is a poem I heard every year at the end of school assembly but never actually read properly until coming to write this story. It's one of my favourite poems, and the story is set in the distant canon future of the VA series. All subsequent chapters should also be canon, whether extended scenes from the books or set after the series. **

**Please read, review, and support #Frostbite2015 on Indiegogo or in any other way you can! **

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_**The Road Less Travelled By **_

_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,  
And sorry I could not travel both  
And be one traveller, long I stood  
And looked down one as far as I could  
To where it bent in the undergrowth;_

_Then took the other, as just as fair,_  
_And having perhaps the better claim_  
_Because it was grassy and wanted wear,_  
_Though as for that the passing there_  
_Had worn them really about the same,_

_And both that morning equally lay_  
_In leaves no step had trodden black._  
_Oh, I kept the first for another day!_  
_Yet knowing how way leads on to way_  
_I doubted if I should ever come back._

_I shall be telling this with a sigh_  
_Somewhere ages and ages hence:_  
_Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,_  
_I took the one less travelled by,_  
_And that has made all the difference.  
_**_~Robert Frost_**

_Dimitri kept saying that the alley was his turning po__int. For me? It was now. I stood on the precipice of something that would change my life.  
_**_~Rose Hathaway, Last Sacrifice pg 471_**

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The sun warmed my face as the sight before me warmed my heart; the heart that still belonged to the man sitting beside me, even after all these years. Our youngest daughter played Strigoi-tag with her children on the lawn, 11-year-old Matty screaming out a battle cry as he grappled with his uncle, his little sister cheering them on. Though Alek had no children of his own, he doted on his nieces and nephew.

We were here for our eldest daughter's 40th birthday, held in the backyard of Ana's house 20 miles outside of Court. It was an iconic June day, warm and sunny enough for butterflies to be chasing each other lazily across the garden before settling on the flowers that were leaning to face the sun.

The part was supposed to have happened yesterday, but unexpected circumstances had forced it to be postponed. The reason for that interruption of plans had just arrived, judging by the car just pulling into the driveway.

A tall dhampir waved as he appeared from round the other side of the car, stopping to open the passenger door so that our eldest granddaughter could step out. I felt the excitement building to a point where I almost couldn't stop myself from jumping up and dashing across to get the first look. My companion chuckled beside me, knowing me well enough that he was aware of my desire.

Our granddaughter smiled when she saw us, but took her time walking so as not to jostle the bundle in her arms.

"It's about time," I called to Eva. "We're not getting any younger here."

"That's sort of how life works," she reminded me as she drew closer. Finally, the bundle was in sight.

Three generations removed, I had sort of expected the feeling of amazement at this miracle to be lessened. It wasn't. As my first great-grandchild was placed into my arms, I gazed in wonder at her tiny, perfect features.

If I had known that science would be able to make this possible, I'd have paid more attention in class. The Moroi geneticist that had announced just over 40 years ago that dhampir/dhampir procreation was in fact possible with the slightest bit of medical help had changed our lives forever, and had made a current total of 7 other lives possible as well.

When Dimitri and I had taken our vows, and entering into the relationship before that, we'd accepted that it would just be us. The fact that children would not be an option had been saddening, but had not been enough to tear us apart. We'd stayed together despite the sacrifices we made for each other and the animosity we had received from the rest of our world. We'd known that it wouldn't be easy- and it hadn't been, but everything had been worth it. The road we had taken had been difficult to traverse, and sometimes it had seemed as though it would come to a dead end, but it hadn't. It had led us to here, and would lead on for however long we had left in this world. Dimitri had finally retired two years ago, and had 5 years to go. I'd had to give up guarding Lissa exclusively a few months back, but I was still good for walking the wards- and could be for another few years. But the bundle of joy squirming in my arms was almost enough to make me consider stopping working and enjoying the peace.

"She's beautiful," I murmured with tears in my eyes. "You must be so proud."

I looked up at the new parents, both beaming as they gazed at their daughter in wonder. Eva was only 20, but had been dating Adam Ivashkov since they were at school. She was a Guardian, but had confided in me that she wouldn't return to work after maternity leave. She wanted to study instead, get a Biology degree once the baby was a little older. She had always been interested in how her mother had come to be born, so much so that I wasn't surprised about her choice for the future.

Dimitri got up from his chair to kneel beside mine, touching the baby's cheek gently. I knew his knee had to be bothering him, but he didn't seem to care. There was a new member of the family for him to dote on.

"What's she called?" he asked Eva.

Her smile became an outright grin. "Rosalind." Seeing my smirk, she quickly added, "like Rosalind Franklin, who helped map the human genome."

"Franklin, of course." I poked Dimitri's shoulder when he laughed.

"Alright, so maybe she's named after another great woman with a similar name as well. Don't let it go to your head though, Grams."

"When have I ever let _anything_ go to my head," I scoffed. "Praise, victory, alcohol-"

"What about that Christmas in Russia when you got so drunk you couldn't feel your toes and thought you had frostbite?" Dimitri cut in.

I glared. "That vodka doesn't count as alcohol. It's rocket fuel."

"I'm pretty sure it does count, more so than anything else, due to the high ethanol content."

I rolled my eyes before looking back down at the baby in my arms. "Your mommy's a big nerd, Rosalind. That's good; it means she can do your homework for you. Great-grandpa and I can show you how to hit stuff."

By now a crowd had begun to form, made up of family waiting to meet the newest arrival. I kissed Rosalind's forehead before lowering her slightly to allow Dimitri to do the same before passing her to Ana.

"There you go, Nana," I said. "You know how it feels now!"

She frowned, but happiness still sparkled in her dark brown eyes. "She's the best birthday present ever, but Eva, I'm still a bit annoyed that you made me a nana so young."

"Ha! Justice," I said smugly. "Now you know how we felt when you got pregnant."

Ana broke off from her baby talk to raise an eyebrow, an ability definitely not inherited from me. "You two had a few years on me before becoming grandparents."

I shrugged. "It's your own fault. Anyway, better to be a young, hot one than a doddering old codger like this one." I tilted my head towards Dimitri, grinning.

There was a chorus of 'mom!' and 'grams!' which made me snicker, and Dimitri looked indignant.

"Doddering old codger? I thought I had another 10 years or so before you started being that mean."

"Oh please comrade, on the day we met I called you 'cheap foreign labour' and 'grandpa' about a week after that. You should be used to the abuse by now."

"The creativity in your ability to express yourself keeps me on my toes."

By now, our kids were rolling their eyes at our antics.

"Tomorrow then, at the gym, we spar. The winner gets control of the Tv for a week."

"Deal." We shook on it, much to everyone's amusement. We still worked out every day, running laps and going to the gym, but sparring was less common. Despite my insults, our bodies were still about as strong as a human's in their prime. The lack of fighting was mainly due to the fact that getting thrown down onto a hard floor tended to hurt more now than it had in the past, though this may have been more down to the many injuries we had sustained over our careers than our age. Dimitri's knee was weak from the kneecap being shattered about 15 years ago, and my ankle had been getting gradually worse ever since jumping off the roof when I'd been on the run after allegedly murdering Tatiana. We'd gained a mosaic of scars over the years, too, and the children always loved to play a Jaws-like game of 'how did you get that one?' when they came to stay with us.

Sensing that our bickering was done for now, hence meaning that the fun was over, Eva took baby Rosalind away down the garden to introduce her to her aunt and uncle. Matty had been going on about how being an uncle would be the coolest thing in the world, but he had yet to show much interest in his niece. Pretending to stake his own uncle was apparently much more interesting.

"What time are Lissa and Christian coming over for dinner?" Dimitri asked.

"Getting a bit senile are we?" I teased.

"No, but maybe you are, since you forgot to tell me," he said triumphantly, knowing he'd won.

"7:00. Lissa said there's no rush, though, if we want to stay here a bit longer."

Dimitri nodded, dragging his seat so that it was flush up against mine. He put an arm around my shoulders and I rested my head against his. After all these years the feel of his skin against mine was still enough to make me feel giddy. Sure, our hair was a little greyer (though we'd both done impressively well on that front. Christian's once black locks were not completely silver, and though it didn't look bad on him, I couldn't help but feel smug) and our skin marred by both scars and wrinkles, but aging was something I'd found I didn't mind as much as I'd expected to. The very real alternative was that Dimitri's body might still be frozen at the age of 24, or that mine might never have had the chance to turn 19 had Tasha's bullets been 2mm to the right. Most Guardians never made it to this age, and each wrinkle around our eyes and lips was as much a mark of our skill and endurance as the many Molnija marks that were crammed onto the back of our necks and shoulders.

Our lives had never been easy, and we'd had to fight every day to keep our happy ending in sight. It was something I intended to do until I took my last breath.

Sometimes I allowed myself a moment to think of how things would have been if I'd stayed with Adrian, if my life had gone down the road not taken. None of my wonderful kids would be the people they were for a start, and my granddaughter and Adrian's grandson wouldn't be proudly showing off their one-day old baby like they were right now. Sydney and Adrian wouldn't currently on a flight back from Venice to meet their first great-grandchild. And of course, Dimitri wouldn't be sitting here beside me as he had been for the last 48 years.

"Hey, comrade? Your grandson appears to be attempting to stake the grass."

He looked up and sighed. Matty was holding the wooden practice 'stake' in his fist with the handle up, attempting to stab Alek with a downwards thrust, despite the fact he was a good couple of feet shorter.

"What are they teaching them at school these days? I'll go and sort him out." He stood up, stopping half way to kiss me tenderly. I replied more forcefully, eliciting a chuckle from Dimitri. We might be getting older, but we weren't dead yet. I even checked him out as he walked away; his tall frame dominated by lean muscle that could still pack a punch.

As I watched my family celebrating the arrival of the new addition, the line of a poem I'd heard at school and long since half-forgotten drifted through my mind.

There had been a moment once, when my future rested on one moment of self-discovery. In the end, my choice had made all the difference. I'd be eternally thankful that I had taken the road less travelled by.

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**Next chapter will be posted tomorrow. **

***_Uses Jedi mind tricks_* Support Frostbite! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Support Frostbite on Indiegogo. Not long left now people :O **

**Word count: 552**

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**_The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep._  
_~ Robert Frost_  
**

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**"You being here feels right- you fit in here"  
I tried to imagine the life she described. It sounded... easy. Comfortable. No worries."  
"You feel like a sister."  
****~Blood Promise, Viktoria and Rose. Pg 175-6**

I could stay with these people forever.

I could stay here, surrounded by love and acceptance and a mutual understanding of what we had all lost. I could share their pain and their burden, and in turn the weight of my own. No responsibility, no judgement, no suicide mission. If Dimitri was here, I had a feeling that he'd want me to stay with his family, that even though he had wanted his soul to be set free, he would put my own welfare and happiness before the state of his soul. That was how much he had loved me, and if he had asked me to do that, then I would. That was how much I loved him.

But he wasn't here, and that was why I was here in the first place. It was because of the strength of my love that I had to set his soul free, that I had to keep my promise and I had to leave these people who were already fast becoming my family.

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**I hit the bottom and fell-roughly. Into water. B  
~ Blood Promise, pg 407**

I could lay here forever.

It would be so easy to give up, to let the darkness take over and sink into the comforting blackness that was wrapping me in its warm embrace. If I gave in, I could escape the responsibility and the pain. I could rest and be at peace.  
But I couldn't rest until Dimitri's soul was able to do the same. I wasn't selfish enough to put myself first for once, to leave my friends back home to the fallout that my death would bring. I couldn't leave Lissa to face the malevolent darkness as I succumbed to the kindness of the one that currently surrounded me. I owed it to Lissa and to Dimitri, and to myself, to fight another day.

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**For a moment, staring down and realising what I'd just done, I wanted to throw myself in after him, because surely there was no way I could go on living now.  
~ ****Blood Promise, pg 417**

I could have been with him forever.

Maybe I still could be.

As I looked down at the swirling black water of the Ob, I entertained the fantasy of letting myself fall, just for a moment. I'd slip beneath the waters of the quiet river, and sink down into the clay or come to rest on a bank somewhere. Perhaps my soul would leave this realm and find Dimitri's, tracking its equal across the dimensions to be together again. I'd have kept my promise to him, to free his soul, and would have freed my own from its own Earthly burdens. I could finally let the Dead have me, like they had wanted years ago. I could be free.  
But I had another promise to keep. So many promises I had made that I was being torn in so many directions, when all I really wanted to do in that moment was rest. But Lissa needed me, and so did many others still living. Dimitri didn't need me anymore, despite how much I would always need him. It was so hard being left behind, but I couldn't shift my burden to someone else. The weight of the world was on my shoulders, and as much as I wanted to drop it into the dark water, I had to keep it on my back. I dragged my eyes away from the water, and climbed back over the railing.  
One day, I would sleep. But there was a long way to go before then.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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_**Fire and ice**_

_**Some say the world will end in fire,**_  
_**Some say in ice.**_  
_**From what I've tasted of desire**_  
_**I hold with those who favor fire.**_  
_**But if it had to perish twice,**_  
_**I think I know enough of hate**_  
_**To say that for destruction ice**_  
_**Is also great**_  
_**And would suffice.  
~ Robert Frost**_

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_**His lips were cold, but the kiss burned between us. Fire and ice. And he was **__**right- I did kiss him back.  
~Blood Promise pg 305**_

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The first time I'd died, I'd burned. I could still feel the flames licking at my skin as the world of twisted metal around me began to fade away. I had felt the heat of my boiling blood as it had bled to places in my body it wasn't supposed to be, drowning out the pain of my shattered bones and punctured skin. The roaring of the fire harmonised with the thundering of my blood pounding in my ears, and I'd felt myself slipping into the abyss.

As I kissed Dimitri now, the sharp points of his fangs scraping against my lips, passion burned within me. The cold skin beneath my palms refused to warm even with the contact, and I found myself wondering how it felt to be a Strigoi. If I agreed, how would it feel? Would my new body temperature feel no different to my current one, or would the blood flowing through my veins feel like ice? It would be strange, if Dimitri and I were to be together again like we had been in the cabin, to not feel the familiar flare of hot passion.

What would it feel like to be turned? I had died once before, and come back. Would this be like that? I wondered if I would even care, wondered how much of myself I would retain. Dimitri was still the same, sort of, just colder. The endorphins coursing through me kept me from thinking too hard, but the thoughts that I was having were strangely philosophical. I'd heard of poets and artists taking drugs to improve creativity, and had witnessed the effects of both magic and alcohol on Adrian's poetic flair. Maybe Strigoi didn't think like this. The bite was something I would miss.

Or perhaps Strigoi weren't as different from us as I had once thought. Dimitri could still be sweet at times, giving me jewellery and gentle kisses. After all, hatred and destruction weren't traits shared exclusively by the undead. The living felt them too; I myself had held many a vendetta. Strigoi killed to survive, whereas dhampirs killed to protect the world from this perceived evil. Were we any better than hunters who killed predator animals just because they stole from their flocks.

Dimitri was always reminding me of how weak I was, how pathetic I was compared to the strength he now commanded. Ever since those Animal Behaviour classes about wolves, I had been fascinated by evolution and natural selection. With right and wrong, morals and emotion taken out of the picture, Strigoi were nothing more than the apex predator in this world. Could they be blamed for preying on the weak? Could a wolf be condemned for killing a lamb when humans murdered each other every day, slaughtering each other? It had always confused me how killers were described as cold-blooded when in most cases their crimes were born of passion.

Strigoi were cold-blooded, but killed primarily for food. They preyed upon humans in the same way that we did upon livestock. Strigoi sometimes murdered for sport in the way that humans did at a shooting range, bringing down game. Strigoi killed for power, like Dimitri intended for us to destroy Galina, in much the same way as humans murder each other every day.

If I were to allow Dimitri to awaken me, I would be doing no more than moving up the food chain.

I was ripped from my thoughts as Dimitri's fangs left my neck, the drop in endorphins immediately dragging me back to a more familiar state of mind. I craved his bite immediately, and knew that I'd find it hard to resist if offered to awaken me right now.

But when he got up, his cold skin no longer in contact with my own, my body began to warm again in a way that had nothing to do with emotion, but simply with life. My mindset, too, began to change a little, by outlook returning to something a little more normal for me.

Tomorrow, though, the ice would return in his kisses and his bite, and the lure of greatness and simplicity would once again tempt me.

A battle raged inside me; fire verses ice. I was too intoxicated to remember which side I was on, and even what each side was fighting for.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Remember Avery's Spirit-daydream torture anyone? Time to fix it ;) **

**Word count: 1640**

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**In three words I can sum up everything I know about life: it goes on.  
~ Robert Frost  
**

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**_If you really loved him, then you have to go on. _I didn't know how I would go on living, but I knew that I wanted to.**  
**~ Blood Promise, pg 417**

**"Dimitri... for real, what happens to us?"**  
**"Life," he said easily. "It goes on. We go on"**  
**~ _Last Sacrifice, pg 548_**

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Dimitri was wearing jeans and a red T-shirt that hugged his torso, making the ridges of his muscles clearly visible. His hair was loose and still slightly damp from the shower that we'd recently shared. Altogether, I was tempted to demand a round two right this instant. However, something other than the two steaming mugs in his hands stopped me from jumping him there and then.

The sense of déjà vu struck me almost instantly, but it took me a moment to figure out where I had seen this scene before. Avery's Spirit mind trick that she'd used to try and stop me saving Lissa's life had been so incredibly similar to this that it was uncanny. Everything in my current line of sight was almost exactly the same. When Dimitri handed me one of the mugs, I had to resist the urge to pinch myself to see if this was real. That would have made me look crazy, though, so I instead decided to just take a sip of the drink to break the déjà vu spell.

In the end, that action had the same effect as a pinch, and also helped break the similarity.

I hissed as the boiling liquid scalded my lip and quickly set the offending beverage down on the coffee table. Dimitri's expression was caught somewhere between amusement and concern for me.

"I just said it was hot. Didn't you hear me?"

"Sorry comrade, I was away with the fairies." I pursed my lips, blowing air through the gap to try and cool it down. Seeing that I wasn't truly in pain, Dimitri's face shifted closer to a look of amusement.

He put his own cup down before coming to stand closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist as the other hand came up to cup my face. His thumb gently stroked my burned lip, skin cool despite having carried the hot drinks in from the kitchen. In true crazy Siberian style he'd gone out into the cold to fire up the generator with wet hair and wearing just his T-shirt, and though he been bothered b the temperature, his body had still been affected.

"Did you get it to work?" I asked as his thumb moved to caress my cheek instead.

"No; there was no fuel in the tank."

"Huh. Guess it's good we showered when we did." I turned in his arms to that my back was pressed to his chest and I was looking out the window. I couldn't see much as the blizzard was blocking out the view of the mountains our cabin was nestled amongst.

We were staying in Idaho, not all that far from the service station where we had made snow angels so long ago. We'd saved up 6 months' holiday time for this long weekend getaway, and were supposed to be leaving tomorrow. With the storm that had started sometime in the night, however, we wouldn't be going anywhere for a few days. After panicking a bit about Lissa and Christian being unprotected for a few extra days (well, not protected by us, anyway) wed managed to get a call through to Hans to tell him that we'd be back late, and to retain their Guardian detail for a few extra days. The phone line had come down before the call was finished, followed by the rest of the electricity a couple of hours later.

So despite my insistence to hire a cabin with cable and WiFi, we were back to basics. Dimitri was waiting to see how long it would take me to crack under the pressure of no technology, but I refused to let it get to me. We had a log burning fireplace and a small gas stove, so we wouldn't freeze or starve. So long as we had food, I could survive. Life goes on.

After a while of staring at the flurries of snow I did start getting a little bored. I wasn't going to complain, though, as it would mean Dimitri winning.

"Do you want to play something?" I asked. "I'm sure there was a Game of Life box in one of the cupboards somewhere..."

Two hours later, we finally finished the game. It had gone on and on. Dimitri was stoking the fire up some more and I was heading to the bedroom to get dressed. The further away from the hearth I got, though, the colder the cabin became. By the time I reached the bed I was shivering. I began piling clothes on, but it didn't help much. Central heating was something else I had demanded for this trip, but like everything else, lack of electricity rendered it impossible.

"I didn't expect it to be quite this cold," Dimitri commented as he entered the room. If _he_, the man who'd grown up in Siberia, thought it was chilly, then it had to be _really_ bad.

"There's no way we can sleep in here," I complained. "All the snuggling in the world isn't going to generate enough body heat to keep us warm."

He didn't disagree. "We could always take the mattress off the bed and drag it in front of the fire."

"You're pretty resourceful, Belikov," I repeated, thinking back to the time we had camped whilst on the run. "Must be those Arctic wilderness survival instincts kicking in. Bear Grylls should be worried about his job."

Dimitri rolled his eyes but stepped up to the bed to take the end of the mattress. I grabbed the other end and together we carried it to the living room.

"Put it in front of the sofa," Dimitri said. "That should help keep the heat in this area."

I dropped my end of the mattress as soon as it was in the general area of where it needed to be and dashed back to the bedroom to get blankets. I stripped the thick, downy duvet from the bed and tucked the pillows under my arm before pulling the spare covers from the wardrobe. I almost tripped over the trailing sheets as I shuffled back the makeshift bed, but just about kept my balance. Dimitri came forward to help me, though I could see him trying not to laugh.

"What are we going to do with all of these? Make a mountain of pillows?"

"No, we're-" Suddenly, I was struck by an awesome idea. "We're making a blanket fort!" I turned away from Dimitri and began to assess the furniture around us. The roaring fire was set deep into the huge fireplace, the mantelpiece of which stuck out from the wall and even had small hooks along the base, presumably for hanging Christmas stockings on. The sofa was opposite it, so we had two sides of the fort already made. The tall chairs around the dining table would serve as the rest.

"Help me bring the chairs over. Line three up on either side with the seats facing outwards."

Dimitri did as I told him, a slightly bemused smile on his face as he carried two chairs over. Once they were in place, completing the square, I used rubber bands I'd stolen from the cutlery drawer to attach one edge of the largest sheet to the hooks on the fireplace.

"Isn't that a fire hazard?" Dimitri asked sceptically.

"Relax, Comrade. It'll be fine." He didn't look convinced. "Can you grab the other end and put it over the back of the sofa?"

He did, and I attached the sheet to the backs of the chairs so that we had a roof to our fort. It didn't reach all the way to the floor, though, so we used smaller sheets to enclose the space after throwing pillows and food inside.

I crawled in quickly, but Dimitri's broad shoulders didn't fit quite so easily between the gap in the chairs. I had to hold the roof up as he tried to get in, which meant that whole tent shook as I laughed. Watching a 6"7 man wriggling along the floor was a funny sight, but he squeezed through before I had time to grab my phone and take a picture. The low ceiling had also messed his hair up quite badly, which I carefully smoothed out once he was close enough. It was a lost cause, though, since his head immediately rubbed against the sheet and messed it up again.

"Cozy," Dimitri commented drily as he ducked down even more, lying down on the mattress and resting his shoulders against the front of the sofa.

"Maybe we should have made a tepee instead- then it would have fulfilled your Western fantasies whilst being high enough for you not to hit your head," I joked.

Dimitri's hands gripped my waist, pulling me down beside him. "Hmm, maybe tomorrow." His lips found my neck, kissing their way up to my mouth. "Tonight, this is your palace."

I returned the kiss. "Tomorrow," I breathed in reply, the words captured by his mouth. That was something Avery's dream hadn't been powerful to convince me of- the promise of tomorrow. Life had gone on, and it had landed me here, as it would allow us to continue together into tomorrow. Maybe we would make a blanket tepee, maybe we wouldn't. Whatever the future held, that was all I could be sure of. Tomorrow would come, and life would go on.

But for now, all that mattered was the moment.

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**I read a little bit of Blood Promise to find the relevant quote for this, and my iPod is determined to play depressing music, so now I want to cry a little bit. Will BP ever stop hurting?! :P I'm now going to go write something super angsty to get the feels out of my system XD **

**Please review and support Frostbite in any way you can- new perks will be coming o the campaign soon! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I so, _so_ want to buy Dimitri's duster and the lust charm dress on ebay. If ever there was a time to win the lottery...**

**Disclaimer (cuz I just realised I haven't done any for this story yet) If I was Richelle, I would have enough money to buy Dimitri's duster and hug it like the mildly crazed fangirl I am. I do not have the money or VA, therefore am not Richelle. **

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_You don't have to deserve your mother's love. You have to deserve your father's.  
~ Robert Frost  
_

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_"Wow. You beat up your dad. I mean, that's really horrible... what happened. But wow."  
"__He had to learn that being Royal and Moroi doesn't mean you can do anything you want to other people- even blood whores."  
~ Vampire Academy, pg 185  
_

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I leaned back against the wall, eyes scrutinising the ballroom scene in front of me. I couldn't decide whether being a Guardian or a guest at one of these events was worse; you didn't get to dress up when on duty, but at least you didn't have to make nice with the Royals and act like you were indebted to them for being there.

Some people, however, didn't get the concept of not interacting with a Guardian on duty. There had been several guys sparing me glances all evening, but the man standing directly in front of me was the worst. He had to be nearing fifty, judging by the grey streaks in his black hair and the lines around his mouth and forehead. He'd definitely been good-looking back in his day, and even now retained a George Clooney-like air. Something about him seemed familiar- it must have been his likeness to the actor, or another like him.

The look in his blue eyes was, however, enough to make me shudder- in a very unpleasant way. Though he was deep in conversation with a Moroi I recognised from around Court, I saw his eyes on my body every time I spared a glance in his direction. The gaze was as arrogant as it was searching, and it was with alarm that I looked back to find that he was no longer in his spot.

"Hello," a voice said close to my ear. I spun around, hand flying to my stake before I realised that the creep was standing beside me. I relaxed when I realised he was not a Strigoi, but not by much. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

His accented voice didn't sound sorry in the least as he leered. He was Russian, meaning that he'd understand if I told him to '_otvali'. _It was my new favourite expletive after hearing it from Dimitri last week. It was almost worth getting stung by a wasp to hear Dimitri tell the bug to fuck off- him kissing me better made it definitely worth it.

The creep still hadn't disappeared, despite my silence. If anything, he took it as encouragement. "I must say that I find your face refreshing after spending so much of the night surrounded by beautiful yet replicate women. I came to enquire into the chances of you leaving the post at which you so nobly stand and accompanying me into one of the private lounges?"

This time I couldn't help but make eye contact- it took all of my self control not to make knee contact with a certain part of his anatomy.

"I am a Guardian, sir," the word dripped with sarcasm, "not a bloodwhore. I have a job to do, and you're keeping me from it. If you would be so kind as to leave..."

A spark of anger flared in the Moroi's eyes. "Perhaps if you knew to whom you were speaking, your decision may be swayed. I am Lord Grigory Voda, and..."

Whatever else he said was lost on me as the name caused pieces to fall together. The age, the nationality, the family- and of course the personality. The familiarity of the face- there was something there in the shape of the nose and chin, the features of the man I loved reflected as though this Moroi's face was a fairground mirror, distorting them as horror crept up my spine.

This was Dimitri's father. I was being hit on by Dimitri's father.

The disgust at the first realisation almost made the revulsion at the second to be ignored, but I had a feeling it would probably come back to screw me up later. My old therapist would have a field day if she were here.

When I spoke, I kept my voice low. "You're right about the change in decision. Proper Guardian protocol seems disregardable in light of your identity." A smile began to form on Grigory's lips, but faltered when he realised that my expression was not one of favour. "I suggest that you leave Court immediately unless you wish to find yourself in an unpleasant situation with both myself and the Council."

Grigory scoffed, all formality falling from his speech. "I could have you suspended from duty for speaking to me like that, dhamp. Don't you know who I am?"

"Yes," I replied. "I know exactly who you are and what you are. The question is; do you know who I am?"

By now, we had begun to attract attention from those standing closest to us.

"Listen, blood whore, I don't care how Royal one of your parents is-"

"My father is Ibrahim Mazur." What little colour he had immediately flooded out of Grigory's face. "But that's irrelevant. My name is Rose Hathaway, and I am head of the Queen's Royal Guard. If you don't leave Court immediately, then the beating up you received from Dimitri 13 years ago will seem like a friendly hug compared to ass-kicking I'm planning."

I stalked forward, putting enough distance between myself and the wall so I could pull my arm back to punch him without bashing my elbow.

"How...? Oh, you're _Zmey'_s daughter. That tramp Olena must have been talking-"

"No. You don't have the right to even say her name, much less trash it in front of all these people."

Grigory's hand shot out and grabbed my upped arm, hard enough that I was sure he'd leave a mark. I reacted immediately, gripping his wrist and spinning him around until he writhed in pain, caught in an arm lock.

By now most people were watching with a mix of fear and excitement. "How someone like you managed to produce four great offspring is beyond me. They obviously took after their mother."

The crowd of people suddenly parted ahead of us, and Hans stormed through.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded. I smiled sweetly.

"Just taking out the trash, sir."

In the swish of a duster, Dimitri stood right behind Hans, an expression of disbelief on his face which was quickly joined by hatred. "Hi honey," I greeted him. "You were so right about not inviting your dad to the wedding. What an ass."

Grigory laughed through the pain, a breathless sound that was more than a little unsettling. "You picked a good one here, Dimka. You should keep her better trained, though."

My foot connected with his kidney a split second before Dimitri could react. "You don't give up, do you? I guess that's one trait you passed on to your son, though it's much more flattering on him."

Dragging Grigory to his feet, pulling the silver-plated handcuffs from their pouch beside my gun. I'd always thought it was a waste to time carrying them around since they wouldn't hold a Strigoi for more than a minute. Now, though, I was glad of them.

"Grigory Voda, you're under arrest for assaulting a Royal Guardian." It was strange, but there was a sense of déjà vu, only flipped. It was so long since I'd been the one locked up, but it soothed some pride I hadn't realised had been hurt to be able to lock these handcuffs around the wrists of a real villain. As a Royal Guardian I had the power to arrest people, and I had to admit it was actually kind of fun. I wondered if I'd be allowed to read him his rights- that'd be badass.

Grigory began to whine, shouting about family honour and some other bullshit.

"Oh shut up," I sighed as he struggled against me. He was tall, and awkward to keep a hold of due to his wriggling. I held onto the cuffs with one hand, gesturing to them with the other. "Comrade, would you like to do the honours?"

Dimitri stepped forward as Hans shooed the crowd away. A few nights in the cells wouldn't do justice for what this man deserved, but the spectacle he'd caused tonight would keep him out of any social circles for a long while.

"Are you alright?" Dimitri asked as soon as he had a good grip on Grigory. "Did he hurt you?"

"I'll have a bruised arm in the morning, but you should see the other guy!" I quipped, trying to clear some of the tension in the air. "What about you? Are you okay?"

Dimitri glanced at the man in the cuffs for a moment before looking back at me. "You know, I think I am."

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**So this plot bunny has been bouncing around in my head for a while, but I'm not sure if it came out quite how I wanted it. Meh, that's what you get for trying to write updates for 5 stories in one day :P **

**Please review and support Frostbite on Indiegogo, or submit an entry for my Frostbite2015 Challenge. Just a few days left now!**


	6. Chapter 6

Continued from the last chapter due to popular demand :)

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_**Freedom lies in being bold.  
~Robert Frost**_

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Despite Dimitri's assurance that he was okay with what had happened with his father, he'd been more introverted than normal all morning. He'd blamed it on fatigue after being on duty at the ball for most of the night, but I wasn't buying it. I let it slide, though- at least until a message arrived for Dimitri that made him clench his fists and look like he was going to break something.

I put down my hairbrush and went over to him, taking one of his fists between both of my hands and pressing a kiss to his shoulder. His grip loosened just enough to allow me to pull the piece of paper from between his fingers.

_Guardian Belikov,  
Grigory Voda has requested your audience in the Royal Prison. _

Now it was obvious why he was worked up. Despite my urge to punch Grigory again, I wondered if this could be a blessing in disguise.

"Are you going to go?" I asked.

Dimitri looked down at me in surprise. "Of course not. Why would I? I have nothing to say to him."

"Maybe," I said as whilst brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes, "he has something to say to you- whether or not he wants to." Dimitri began to pull away, but I refused to let go. "Look, I know that if he hadn't turned up last night then you'd have been perfectly fine not thinking about him for the rest of your life. But I know you; I know you need some kind of closure so that you can finally move on. People spend their whole lives waiting for explanations that they'll never find, and you actually have a shot at getting one."

Dimitri's expression softened, eyes burning into mine as though they could see into my soul. "You're right, of course." He leaned into my hand. "It's not so much speaking to him as going where he's going to be." He sighed. "If I go, will you come with me?"

It made sense- Court's tiny prison wasn't exactly a venue filled with happy memories for either of us. I was surprised at the vulnerability he was showing me, but then again, maybe it was to be expected. Perhaps his father's reappearance had called forth a shadow of Dimitri's thirteen-year-old self; a reflection of the innocence that he'd lost forever that day.

"Of course." I stretched up and kissed him quickly. "Shall we go right now?"

Dimitri nodded, grabbing his duster before leaving our apartment. It was warm enough outside that he didn't need the ridiculous coat at all, but for once I didn't tease him. At times like this, it was basically his grown man's version of a blankie. It was actually kind of sweet.

He became more tense as we neared the prison. "Having you with me should stop me from saying anything I'll regret later, but even so..."

"Comrade, even you can't smash through three inches of metal bars. And if there's anything you're worried about saying, whisper it to me and I'll shout it even louder to the jackass. My reputation can't get much worse on that front."

Dimitri thought for a moment. "I keep referring to him as my father, but he doesn't deserve the title. Have you got any suggestions?"

I nodded vigorously. "I went 18 years without meeting mine, so definitely. Now I call Abe 'dad', you can have a hand-me-down. I think 'sperm donor' works best in this case."

He laughed, but stopped abruptly as security asked to see our ID. It was a hassle, but since they'd never wanted ID before my great prison break, it was probably my fault.

The universe sure had a sense of humour, as Grigory Voda was locked up in the same cell that Dimitri and I had been in. That made it both a little easier and a little harder at the same time- I both empathised with what he had to be feeling in that white, white box, but I also knew that this guy deserved it.

Grigory sat on the bed, looking tired and paler than before. Blood supplies were limited in prison, and I knew for a fact that it wasn't easy to get much sleep in here. He looked up as we entered, and began speaking in Russian. Now was one of those times I wished I'd bothered to learn.

Thankfully, Dimitri replied in English. "I didn't come as a favour for you. I almost didn't come at all."

Grigory smiled, and I was relieved that he stuck with the language I could understand. "I didn't think you would, to be honest. You were never very tough as a child."

"Tough enough to take you down, apparently," I cut in, unable to help myself.

"Ah, you brought your friend." Grigory pretended to notice me for the first time. "I'm so pleased. This prison just became a lot more attractive."

Dimitri reached out and grabbed the bars, much like he had that time with Victor Dashkov. "Listen, _durak_. We didn't come down here for a family meet-and-greet. You'll answer my questions, or I'll tell your guards to 'mix up' your feeding times. How desperate will you be for blood in 12 hours?"

The Sperm Donor grimaced. "Fine. Ask away."

"Why did you hit my mother?" Wow. Dimitri wasn't working into this lightly.

Grigory shrugged. "I got frustrated. I liked Olena, truly. She was a beautiful woman, and I didn't care that she had three of my children. I had my own wife by the time you were born, not that I told your mother, of course. But she couldn't give me any heirs, so I came back to Olena. When she told me she was pregnant again, I was angry. My wife couldn't have children, she could. I couldn't hit my wife, I could hit Olena. Simple. Nobody cared about the occasional bruise on a blood whore."

This was a sick, sick man. Currently, the bars between us were doing two very important jobs; keeping Grigory locked up, and Dimitri and I from going in there and killing him. I'd let Dimitri do the hitting as long as I got to hold him down.

When he spoke, Dimitri's voice was low and dangerous. "If you were so desperate for children, why ignore the four you actually had? Spending five minutes with us and bringing toys each time you visited does not constitute being a father."

Grigory laughed. "Stupid boy. I bought you things to please Olena. I didn't want children at all; I wanted _heirs._ Sons to carry on my bloodline, not a brood of useless dhamps. Had my wife had children, I'd have paid someone else to do the hard work. Without heirs, the majority of my father's fortune goes to my brother and his six runts." His expression shifted suddenly. "However, I still have enough money to afford to spend out on certain luxuries. If the pretty lady agrees to drop the assault charges and you convince your guard friends to let me go now, I can give you a fraction of the inheritance you would have received had you been Moroi."

"You can rot here for all I care," Dimitri spat.

Grigory shrugged and turned to me. "I can see his point, but I've done you no wrong. Do you accept my offer?"

I stepped forward, and Grigory flinched as my eyes locked with his. "You might not have hurt me, but you've caused nothing but pain to the family I love as my own. I'd tell you to shove your offer up your ass, but I think your head is so far up there that there wouldn't be room for anything else."

"You heard Guardian Hathaway," Dimitri said. "We don't want your filthy money."

"All the good that has come of your existence can be summed up in four names. Don't let yours fall onto Abe Mazur's naughty list," I said with a smirk.

"Are you threatening me?" Grigory asked.

"No. I'm giving you a piece of advice." I took Dimitri's hand, and he gripped mine tightly in return. "Come on, comrade. Let's get out of here."

Dimitri paused for a moment. "I told you before if I ever saw you again, I'd kill you. Consider my letting you live now an acknowledgement of the blood we share- and that's all we have in common. Next time, there'll be nothing to keep me from making good on my promise."

I followed Dimitri out of the prison without a backwards glance, out into the moonlight. Once we were a good distance away, Dimitri stopped and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Thank you for telling me to do that," he said quietly. "And for coming with me. I was too afraid to do it without you." He looked up at the sky. "Finally, I'm free."

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**Well, there it is :) I'm not at all qualified to be trying to explain the reasons behind domestic abuse, so ****I hope I did that justice. **

**6 days left people= please support Frostbite on Indiegogo! :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**I just looked at my reviews again and found the unanswered question as to whether Dimitri's dad was really called Grigory Voda in the books. The answer is no, but out of the 12 royal families I think Voda is the most likely since most other families eg. Dashkov, Ozera, Badica and Zeklos had prominent roles in the series and Dimitri never brought it up, and obviously Dragomir was out of the equation (though wouldn't it be weird if his dad **_**was**_ **a Dragomir? :3) **

**Anyyyway, enough of that rambling. On with the drabble :) **

**Disclaimer: VA isn't mine. **

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_**A minor bird**_

_**I have wished a bird would fly away,  
And not sing by my house all day;**_

**_Have clapped my hands at him from the door_**  
**_When it seemed as if I could bear no more._**

**_The fault must partly have been in me._**  
**_The bird was not to blame for his key._**

**_And of course there must be something wrong_**  
**_In wanting to silence any song.  
~ Robert Frost  
_**

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**_"I had no room for anything in my heart except guilt. I pushed you away. I put up a wall to keep you safe... I would give anything - anything- in the world to go back and change history. To run into your arms after Lissa brought me back."  
~ Dimitri, Last Sacrifice, pg 470-471_**

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Dimitri and I were snuggled up in bed, wrapped in a blissful haze. It was the night after Lissa's coronation, and if this was any indication of what lay ahead for us, then it was most certainly going to be good.

"How could I ever have thought I could live without this?"

I lifted my head from Dimitri's chest to look him in the eye, trying to hide my smirk. "What, sex?"

"No. Well... I meant you. Us." His hand slid up to cup my face. "All that time I pushed you away because I was convinced I was too broken, but you were the one that could fix me."

I blushed under the intensity of his gaze. "You didn't need fixing so much as time to heal yourself," I said, defending him.

He refused to have it, though. "All the time in the world wouldn't have been long enough for me to realise how to forgive myself, Roza. I couldn't have done it without you."

His words were so similar to those that had sparked what had happened in the cabin that I couldn't help but appreciate the bond we shared. Not a magical bond forged by death, like the one I had just lost with Lissa, but one formed by two kindred spirits finding each other and sharing strength and understanding. It was almost as though I loved Dimitri more, now that I could return some of what he had given me.

I didn't really know what to say in reply, but felt as though I had to try something. "You'll never have to try; I'll always be here for you."

"And I'll _never_ give up on you," Dimitri promised, before breaking eye contact for a moment. "I just want you to know that. Even though I truly believed I was incapable of love after being restored, I shouldn't have said I'd given up on you. That wasn't true, and I'm sorry." He looked ashamed.

I covered his hand with my own. "Hey, that's in the past." His eyes met mine again. "And I think I knew you didn't mean that- especially after you beat up all those Guardians whilst trying to protect me."

He smiled wryly. "I'd realised by then that I was making a mistake by pushing you away so hard. You're too much of a magnet for trouble to be left unattended."

"Hey!" I slapped his chest playfully. "Firstly; that time it totally wasn't my fault. Secondly;" I said with a wink, "you love the excitement that I bring to your life. How many guys can say their girlfriend gives them the opportunity for real-life grand theft auto car chases?"

Dimitri laughed. "Don't forget the searches for alleged family members and speeches in front of a crowd that would rather kill us than listen to what we have to say."

"Exactly. Your life would be so boring without me." I was pleased that the conversation had taken a lighter turn.

"It would," he agreed before kissing me. "So I guess that the cabin in the mountain idea is definitely not going to be an option?"

I thought back to the conversation we'd had on the way to Idaho, before making the snow angels. "Actually," I said, running a finger down Dimitri's sculpted chest, "since then, I've gained a new appreciation for isolated cabins. I'm sure the two of us could find some activities to keep us busy up there, all alone..."

"We could read... play board games..." Dimitri said, catching on.

"Exactly. We could cook, or knit," I wasn't sure where knitting idea came from, but the mental image of Dimitri holding Yeva's knitting needles threatened to make me laugh and ruin the mood we were building, so I decided to cut the list short. "Watch a movie, or just..." my hand dropped lower, tracing over the lines of his abs.

His voice was husky, accent more pronounced when he spoke again. "I like your plan, but is the cabin part essential?"

"Only one way to find out!" I laughed before attaching my lips back to his.

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**5 days left- please support Frostbite in any way you can! Thank you for reading :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Not long to go now! **

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_**Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.**_  
_**~ Robert Frost**_

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_**"You can live a lifetime in two years." **_  
_**~ Rose, Spirit Bound.** _

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Though I the Guardians were the only ones in the room literally standing with our backs to the wall, Lissa was doing a good job of demonstrating the metaphor.

For the last three hours, she'd been locked in a battle of wills and (lacking) wits with the 11 other Royal Council members whom were al displaying varying degrees of idiocy. The head and vice of the Guardian council were also in attendance of the meeting, but had yet to say anything than a half-hearted protest that they allowed to be cut short by the mouthy Badica representative.

This was the fourth such meeting Lissa had held in order to halt the age law regarding Dhampir graduation, and each one ended with the outcome looking bleaker than ever. Though Lissa was a persuasive leader, this was one issue the royals would not back down on.

"We are running short on Guardians. Unless we can gain some ground immediately in our war against the Strigoi, then they will continue to increase exponentially until we are inundated!"

The fancy words of Lord Sarcozy didn't help to make his idea any less stupid. He was still in favour of rounding up bloodwhores and forcing them onto the front line as cannon fodder.

Lissa rubbed her temple to ease a headache as I fought to resist the urge to slap the idiotic Moroi in the face.

"Lord Sarcozy, that suggestion has already been vetoed by the rest of the Council. The purpose of this meeting is to try and find a way to limit the threat of the Strigoi without infringing upon the rights of the Dhampir community."

"The Dhampir community wouldn't exist without us!" Lord Sarcozy argued. "It is their duty to work for us!"

Princess Conta piped up, "surely, the real debate here is quantity of life verses quality of life."

"That's absurd," disagreed Lord Dashkov. "We're not talking about altering wither of those. Accelerating training will not shorten life expectancy if the intensity of previous years is increased, and kids hate school! We're doing them a favour by letting them out early."

That sparked even more debate, and I met Dimitri's eye across the room as my own anger flared. Did these people not realise there were Dhampirs right here, that we could hear as they talked about us like livestock?

Dimitri's gaze was steady behind his impassive features, but I could see the message he was conveying. _Don't lose your temper, Rose._

I rolled my eyes , knowing that nobody seated around the large oak table would notice. _But this is ridiculous. _

His non-verbal reply was not what I expected. A slight twitch of his lips gave them the hint of a smile, and his eyes softened a little as they shone with encouragement. _So tell them with propriety. _

After taking a moment to see if he was serious, I waited for my cue. As if by magic, Prince Ozera provided it.

"We have recent evidence that underage students are more than capable of holding their own against the Strigoi."

"Your majesty, I have now been objectified in this debate on two separate occasions. Following Moroi law, I must now be a case study to be investigated in further detail." 14 heads turned to look at me, including a few more pairs of eyes as Guardians pretended not to hear what was going on, but were interested anyway. "I am willing to give testimony so that the standing of my case in this debate may be correctly evaluated."

Okay, so I was mostly making this up as I went along, but you didn't stand trial for murder and then sit through countless hours of boring political debates and not pick up a key phrase or two.

Though Lissa tried her best not to show her feelings, she was no Dimitri. Even without the bond, I could practically feel her pride at how I'd finally learned how to properly make myself heard in situations like this, and relief that maybe I could help turn this around.

"Guardian Hathaway, permission for your testimony has been granted. You have the floor."

Pushing away from the wall, I walked a couple of steps closer to the large table.

"I am Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway, and I graduated from St. Vladimir's Academy last summer at the age of eighteen. I've been used as a case study to support the movement for Dhampirs graduating early as I single-handedly decapitated two Strigoi at the age of 17, and took down many more in a battle when my school was attacked. I speak now to give you the full story of the circumstances surrounding the events that took place and contributed to my survival, and so you may assess the ongoing effects of these feats. I speak objectively, and any facts can be verified by staff of St. Vladimir's Academy. I give my consent for both my disciplinary and medical records to be used as artefacts in this case." I looked to Lissa. "Is that all the legal stuff said?"

She nodded, trying to hide a smile. "Yes, Guardian Hathaway. Continue."

"Okay." Now that the formalities were complete, I wasn't sure what to start with. I'd sworn to be objective, but these were some of the hardest and most personal events of my life that I would be revealing here. I was doing this to protect all the younger novices, but it wouldn't come without a cost to myself. I looked to Dimitri for reassurance, and like always, just knowing that he was there gave me strength.

"The first point that I'd like to raise is the one concerning my final year of schooling. Since I had missed most of the previous two years, I received one-to-one combat tutoring from a top 10% Guardian, according to grades on graduation." This got me a few smirks from Moroi who clearly thought they knew what the 'private tutoring' had entailed. Somebody even laughed. I ignored them, rallying my self confidence, and continued. "Obviously, providing every novice with this tutoring would be counter-productive as the Guardians concerned would not be able to actively guard individuals outside of the Academies."

Lord Dashkov's mouth opened then closed again when he realised that whatever plan he had been concocting hadn't worked.

"Second- my performance in my final year was strongly influenced by my ambition to guard Vasilisa when we graduated, something intensified by the bond we shared. It has been proven many times that having a goal works as incentive for a good work ethic, and unless every novice was bonded to a Spirit user, it is unlikely that a significant number of novices would have the inclination to work hard enough to be ready to graduate before they were 18."

Princess Conta had another question. "What about the kills you mentioned? What were the circumstances surrounding them?"

"Put simply? When we were captured and held hostage by Strigoi, none of us would have been able to escape without the two Moroi with some knowledge of offensive magic. Christian Ozera used Fire to free us from our bindings and Mia Rinaldi used water to distract a Strigoi, giving me time to find a weapon. Lord Ozera also aided me in the attack on the school." My voice lowered and I felt a little sick saying what I did next. "And the escape was not without casualties. You speak of my triumph, but the novice Mason Ashford- top of his classes, and never missed a day of school- didn't make it. Nobody seems to remember how he _wasn't_ ready at seventeen." I blinked back the tears that I could feel prickling behind my eyes. "And that brings me to my final point. A seventeen year old should not have to witness one of their closest friends being murdered then kill their killer."

The women seemed a little affected by this, but I ploughed on before anyone could say anything, or I could chicken out. "After Spokane, I began to suffer psychological effects from the trauma, intensified by the mock Strigoi attacks on the school. All of us did, but due to other factors, my condition was intensified." There was no way I was going into the whole Spirit darkness thing now, and anyway, it didn't matter. The medical records said what they said, and magic bonds weren't a part of it. "My performance was affected and after weeks of thinking I was going insane, I was diagnosed with PTSD. Dr Olendski of St. Vladimir's has produced a report on the psychological effects of Strigoi attacks- both real and mock- on novices, which may be interesting for you to read. Nobody gets over their first kills easily, but at that age, we shouldn't have to."

The room was silent. "I've passed the point where I can continue talking in an objective manner. I hope that you can keep in mind that those two years, or even one final year, aren't replaceable. We need that time to grow up so that by the time we face the horrors of the world, we're ready for them. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who understood what I was going through and could support me, but if that wasn't the case, then there is no way I could have made it to graduation, much less beyond that." I swallowed hard. "If the moral reasons aren't enough to make you consider an alternative solution to the shortage of adequate protection from the Strigoi, then think of the logical reasons. You throw children onto the front line, and it's as good as murder. If you can live with that on your conscience, then you can't be much better than a Strigoi."

Lissa was the one to break the silence that followed my speech. "Thank you, Guardian Hathaway," she said quietly. "Your account certainly sheds light onto new facets of this debate."

I nodded, slipping back to the safety of the wall. I'd revealed a lot just then, and the formal setting had even robbed me of my usual standby of using humour to shift the attention away from my true feelings when things got intense.

"Council members, both Moroi and Dhampir," Lissa said. "Has anyone any suggestions as to solving the increasing lack of protection against the Strigoi."

Arianna Szelsky signalled that she had something to say. "Based on Guardian Hathaway's enlightening report, I would like to change my standing on the cause of Moroi learning offensive magic. It seems that Moroi and Dhampirs working together- like we used to- is the way forward. We don't need a new solution- we just need to remember the old ones." Wow. That had taken an unexpected turn. This had become about magic use? "I propose that the Queen's suggestion of Moroi learning offensive, or at least defensive magic, as part of their curriculum be investigated further."

I felt a surge of triumph as there were no cries of outrage from the other Moroi.

"Thank you, Arianna. That is an option we will certainly begin investigating at another time," Lissa said, joy creeping into her voice. "But for now, we must cast our vote as to the age of Dhampir graduation. In the folder in front of you there is a ballot sheet. Please put a cross in the box, either seventeen or eighteen years, that you feel Dhampirs should remain in school until."

Each of the 11 non-ruling families had one vote, with the Monarch's counting as 2. This meant that out of thirteen votes cast, there would be a definite majority winner. It also meant that Lissa's vote had the power to sway the outcome if her choice had previously been losing by one vote.

Which, it seemed, was exactly what had happened.

A random Moroi had been chosen to count the ballots, their hands shaking the entire time. Finally, they read in a voice just as shaky; "those in favour of reducing graduation age to 17: Six votes. Those in favour of maintaining graduation age at 18: Seven votes."

It was a sign of how far I'd come that I didn't jump up onto the long, finely carved table and start whooping for joy, whilst insulting those six people who had voted in favour of the change. But it didn't matter. We'd won, and the novices- those Jill's age and everyone below- were safe.

The conference room cleared very quickly after that; the Moroi desperate to go and share the news with friends and enemies alike. My destination, however, was just across the room.

Hi-fiving Lissa on the way, and promising her a party in my apartment later, I threw myself at Dimitri and was caught in a hug just as enthusiastic as the one I bestowed upon him.

As he looked down at me, I could feel pride and love radiating from him. It was thanks to him that I'd been able to keep calm and collected long enough to say my piece. Maybe he'd been onto something will all that self-control stuff after all.

"You are amazing," he told me. And with him smiling at me like that, I felt it.

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	9. Chapter 9

**A lighter one today, after the last few more serious ones. Plus I'm going back to college tomorrow, so wanted a bit more fun before the summer officially ends ;) **

**Last call for any entries to my Frostbite2015 1,5 million words Challenge- it ends tomorrow! Please go and read everyone's entries, they're all great :D **

**Disclaimer: VA is not mine. And unless I get handed 5 grand in the next hour, neither will Dimitri's duster be. Boo :( **

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_**I**__**'m not confused. I'm just well mixed.  
~ Robert Frost**_

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_**I didn't like needles or tubes and was glad I hadn't been awake to see them.  
~ Last Sacrifice, pg 543**_

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"Now, Guardian Hathaway, the combination of pain medication that I've put you on may have some side effects. A little confusion is usual, and in some cases hallucination has been recorded. You may be fine, but I'd recommend that you remain supervised for the next 12 hours, just to be sure."

I gave a thumbs up using the hand that wasn't trapped in a sling. "Sure thing, doc. Can I go now?"

He sighed in exasperation, having heard me ask the same question every half hour since I'd been admitted yesterday after a run-in with a particularly nasty Strigoi.

"Yes, you can leave." The only thing keeping me from whooping for joy was the pain lacing every nerve in my body, though I hoped that would fade when the painkillers kicked in. "Guardian Belikov is waiting in the hall for you. I've given him an additional copy of your prescription to avoid a repeat of last time's incident."

I rolled my eyes. "Forgetting the dosage o my medication was a one-time thing. No way would I let that happen again."

The doctor didn't look convinced. "Better safe than sorry."

I stuck my tongue out at him as he left the room, muttering something about how I wasn't the only one who'd benefit from my leaving the ward. Asshole. Just because I'd refused a morphine injection and had insisted on drugs that didn't require pumping into my bloodstream by a needle, he acted like I was the most annoying person on the planet. I was not the most annoying person on the planet. The most annoying person on the planet would be the lovechild of Christian and Adrian- snarky, loud, and trying to be funny when they weren't. And constantly worrying about their hair, doing a Bieber-esque fringe flick all the time. Seriously, that could take someone's eye out.

Getting off the bed, which was surprisingly painless, I looked around for my shoes. Even when I'd found them, I couldn't put them on, because I couldn't find any socks.

"Here, socky socky," I cooed. "Come to momma..."

The door opened just then, and I spun around, adopting a kung fu stance to ward off my attacker- not easy with an arm in a sling.

"Easy, Roza. It's just me," Dimitri said, amusement colouring his voice.

"Is it?" I asked. "How do I know it's you? For all I know, you're the sock thief in disguise. The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime! Where did you put my socks?"

He looked at me weirdly. "Rose, your socks are on your feet."

I looked down, and indeed they were. "Wow!" I looked at Dimitri in astonishment. "You're not a sock thief- you're a magician!" I pulled my shoes on, struggling with the laces.

Seeing me struggling with one hand, Dimitri knelt down to help. He had two perfect pretzel-like bows tied in seconds. "Did you learn to do that at Hogwarts?" I asked in a hushed whisper.

Now he looked utterly bemused. "Um, no. I didn't go to Hogwarts."

"Oh." That was disappointing. We were just two boring muggles. Well, Dhampir muggles. Did that even make sense?

All this thinking was making me hungry, and I looked down at my shoelaces, wishing they were real pretzels. I also felt kind of sick, though, so maybe it was a good thing.

As we left the hospital, I waved to two nurses carrying someone on a stretcher. They didn't wave back. How rude of them.

"Do you know the name of the guy who broke my arm?" I asked Dimitri.

"No, Rose," he said as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "Why?"

"Because if I have his name, I can call Injury Lawyers Direct and tell them I had an accident at work. They have a 'no win no fee' policy with no hidden charges, so I'd have nothing to lose. They've helped thousands of people _just like me_ get the money they deserve!"

Dimitri laughed at that. "Well, your memory hasn't been affected if you're quoting Tv ads."

"That's a relief. Amnesia would suck." I frowned. "Would you be like that guy in 50 First Dates and make me fall in love with you again? Or would you leave me and steal all my stuff whilst I wandered around not even knowing my own name?"

"Roza, of course I wouldn't leave you. I'd do whatever it took..." blah blah blah. Dimitri rambled on whilst I looked around at Court. People used the expression 'when pigs fly' to mean that something would never happen, but there was one circling the church spire right now, so it couldn't be that rare. I'd been right when I'd decided that people didn't look up often enough. Mm, I wondered if flying pig would taste any different to normal pig. Would it be like chickeny bacon? Poultry pork? I giggled at that one, but stopped when I heard someone else laughing too.

"Dimitri, that elf is laughing at me," I said, cowering closer into his side. "He's being mean!"

"What elf? Point to it," Dimitri said soothingly. "I'm sure he's not being mean."

I rolled my eyes. "You're such an idiot. I can't show you where he is, he's _invisible_. Duh."

A little angel Rose appeared on one shoulder.

_That was unkind,_ she said. _You should apologise to Dimitri. _

A devil Rose appeared on the other shoulder. _Don't apologise,_ she said. _Saying sorry is for wimps. You should laugh at him for being stupid. _

"Don't tell me what to do!" I snapped. "And don't call Dimitri stupid!" I flicked the devil Rose from my shoulder with my good hand. She landed in a rosebush.

"That which we call a rose would by any other name smell as sweet," I recited. "Roald Sahl was such a great writer."

"I think that might have been Shakespeare," Dimitri said gently.

"Nuh uh. He wrote _Matilda_, because he saw those witch people. I saw it on Doctor Who ages ago." He didn't argue with me, obviously realising I was right. The flying pig clapped in agreement. "Hold on a minute. I'm called Rose but I'm really a rose. What if those flowers weren't really roses either? What if they're...daffodils! Or _people, _like_ me!_"

I broke out of Dimitri's hold, running over to the 'rosebush'.

"I know your secret! But it's okay, I'll save you!" I reached out to grab one of the 'flowers' and pull it free, but it stabbed me with its thorny hand. It didn't hurt physically, but the emotional pain was intense. My kin had shunned me. I felt tears pool in my eyes. "What did you do that for? I only wanted to help!"

Dimitri knelt down beside me, pulling me close again. I leaned against his chest and sobbed. "I just wanted to help."

"I know, Roza," he said, pressing a kiss to my hair. "Let's go home and get you rested up. I bought you some donuts earlier."

The sadness went away immediately and I felt like dancing, so I did. Dimitri chuckled as we stood up.

"Dimitri, can we invite Porky over for dinner?"

He frowned. "Who's porky?"

I sighed in exasperation. Dimitri was being exceptionally slow today- it was like he was on drugs or something. "Porky the flying pig!"

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**Time is almost up- Support Frostbite in any way you can! **


	10. Chapter 10

_**So I was saving this poem for no. 10 with the intention of writing some amazingly epic ode to Romitri's love, but just as I sat down to write it my brain decided otherwise. I've had this scene in my head for months but never got around to writing it, so hopefully you get the image that's been stuck in my mind :) **_

_**Today is the last day of my Frostbite 2015 1,5 Million Words Challenge. Winners will be announced tomorrow. **_

_**Disclaimer: Still not mine! **_

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_**No speed of wind or water rushing by  
But you have speed far greater. You can climb  
Back up a stream of radiance to the sky,  
And back through history up the stream of time.  
And you were given this swiftness, not for haste  
Nor chiefly that you may go where you will,  
But in the rush of everything to waste,  
That you may have the power of standing still-  
Off any still or moving thing you say.  
Two such as you with such a master speed  
Cannot be parted nor be swept away  
From one another once you are agreed  
That life is only life forevermore  
Together wing to wing and oar to oar.  
**__**~ Robert Frost**_

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_**Being with him after so long... it was like coming home.  
**__**~ Last Sacrifice, pg 474**_

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_Delayed_. The information board seemed almost smug as it flashed up that word for the 42nd time since I'd been sitting here on this uncomfortable metal railing. There was nothing I hated more than _waiting_, waiting for something that was out of my control. I didn't like to admit that I was powerless, but there was nothing I could do to reduce strong headwind slowing up a commuter flight. If I was an air user, then maybe I'd be able to help a little. But alas, my skills prevented me from doing anything other than kicking the stupid plane when it finally did land.

Still, it could be worse. The old lady beside me had been standing up for the last hour and was leaning ever more heavily on her walking stick. I could stand for hours without much discomfort, but was thankfully agile enough to perch on the narrow railing whilst I waited for Dimitri's plane to come in.

I'd found about half an hour ago that thinking of him and our imminent reunion actually made time pass even slower. The last four months apart had been agony, but it was like the pain had tripled since last night. Once he was back from Palm Springs, I wasn't letting him out of sight until after Christmas.

"Excuse me?" A voice asked to my left. I was immediately on my guard, but it was just the old lady. "Are you waiting for flight CAL19021?"

I nodded. Talking to strangers at an airport was never the best idea, but I was pretty sure I could take this granny if I needed to. "Yeah. Are you?"

"Yes. Could you tell me if it's got an expected time of arrival? My eyesight's not quite what it used to be."

Definitely harmless. "Sorry, it still just says delayed." In fact, it had stopped flashing now, the red letters fixed on the screen, mocking me. "Are you waiting for someone?"

She smiled, seeming pleased at the conversation. Anything to distract from this strange combination of boredom and anticipation. "My grandson. I've never met him before as my daughter moved to the West Coast when she got married. He's just turned one."

"Oh, sweet. I have a niece a little older than that." Thinking about Zoya inevitably brought Dimitri back to the forefront of my mind.

"You're waiting for someone too?"

I nodded. "My boyfriend. He's been away with work for the last four months, and now the stupid plane is delayed." I checked the board again. After hearing about the Strigoi and Warrior attacks in Palm Springs, the last thing I needed was this.

"Oh, look!" The old lady suddenly pointed to the large archway. "Is that person carrying a suitcase? Could they be from the flight?"

Judging by the shorts and Hawaiian shirt worn by the man, I'd say he'd come from somewhere a lot warmer than Montana. He'd be cold when he got outside.

The man behind him, however... well, the long leather coat he was wearing would have been sweltering in Palm Springs, but since when had he ever cared about that.

"Dimitri!" I shouted, leaping off the railing and dashing towards the increasing stream of arrivals. "Dimitri!"

His head had turned the first time I shouted his name, and by the second he had already picked up the pace and was drawing closer to me. Not fast enough.

He barely had time to drop the duffel bag he was carrying before I hurtled into his arms, my feet hanging well above the floor as I clung to his neck and shoulders. I wrapped my legs around his waist to anchor me even more closely to him.

Dimitri chuckled quietly, warm breath stirring my hair before he pressed a kiss to my head. "Well this is a warm welcome."

My own joy bubbled over, spilling into a laugh. "You probably think it's warm because you're wearing your ridiculous duster." I dropped back to the floor, letting my hands slide down to grip his lapels. "Are you deliberately trying to overheat?"

He looked sheepish. "I couldn't fit it in my case. Clarence was having a clear out and gave me some books..."

I rolled my eyes, but used by grip on his jacket to pull his head down to my level. Our lips met in a scorching kiss that seared away the pain of separation, but also left me burning for a whole lot more.

"I missed you," Dimitri murmured against my mouth. "I missed you so much."

"I know. I missed you too. I love you."

He would no doubt have returned the sentiment had someone not obnoxiously cleared their throat right next to us at that moment. I turned my head to bitch them out for ruining the moment before realising that almost everyone in the arrivals area was staring at us, either openly or covertly. The elderly lady I had been speaking too was watching us with a knowing smirk, but her gaze returned to the toddler in her arms a moment later.

"I'm sorry sir, madam, but you're interrupting the flow of foot traffic," stuttered the guard, who looked to be about twelve years old. I thought about pointing out that _he_ was the one interrupting, but thought better of it. He'd probably see it as a security threat. "Please relocate to a less central area."

I slid down Dimitri's body as he apologised, reaching down to pick up his bag. I was surprised the guard wasn't giving him a bollocking about leaving baggage unattended.

Dimitri wrapped an arm around my shoulders as I slung mine around his waist, leaning close as we headed towards the double doors and freedom. I shot one last smile back at the elderly lady before we stepped out into the sunlight.

"I can't believe we held everyone up like that," Dimitri said, amusement in his voice.

" I think that guy was just jealous. I quipped with a wink. "We can't help being hot enough to stop traffic."

Dimitri stopped walking and turned to face me again, smile shining brighter and making me feel warmer than the California sunshine.

"I love you, Roza."

Summer might be well and truly over, winter might be on its way, but it didn't matter. Right here I had my own personal sun, and together we would fight the cold and the frost. Whatever the geographical distance between us, nothing could ever tear us apart.

"I love you too, Dimitri." I took his hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. "Let's go home."

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_**This is the last oneshot in this series for now, as my challenge ends tonight. However, since I still have some Robert Frost quotes left, so I'll return to this series when I've caught up on my other stories. Hopefully an ALS3 update should be up before too long! **_

_**As always, thanks for reading and reviewing, and most importantly, supporting Frostbite. **_

_**One last time: Support Frostbite on Indiegogo! ;D **_

_**~ Dimitri's. Smexi. Shewolf x**_


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